Sunderland’s woes revealed: The truth behind the plight… and it’s NOTHING to do with Moyes

Jermain Defoe: Arguably Sunderland's only good piece of transfer business

And most infamously of them all, Adam Johnson.

That little lost cost Sunderland the grand total of £63.5m in transfers.

When they left the Stadium of Light, a pitiful £12.25m went back into the Black Cats’ coffers.

That, in a nutshell, explains why Sunderland are today pleading poverty with chief executive Martin Bain revealing manager David Moyes will have “a very limited” transfer budget next month.

Incredibly since Darren Bent joined Aston Villa in January 2012, earning the club a £2m profit following his move from Tottenham 18 months earlier, just two players have appreciated in value during their spell on Wearside.

Two! Out of 46 players through the club’s revolving door.

The Prem sides with the highest percentage of their completed passes in opposition half

WHICH Premier League side has completed the highest percentage of their total passes in the opposition's half?

1 / 10

GETTY

10. West Brom - 54.39% of total completed passes have been in opposition half

So take a bow Simon Mignolet and James McClean, sold on for a combined £8.1m profit.

And former boss Steve Bruce too because out of all the managers who have come and gone during Ellis Short’s time in charge, he’s the only one who has gone some way to balancing the books.

And don’t forget it was during his tenure that Academy product Jordan Henderson joined Liverpool for £18m.

Since then with a few notable exceptions, Sunderland have bought badly and sold cheaply.

Some players depreciated in value to such an extent that they eventually left on a free transfers.

Others made such little impact that the Black Cats had no choice but to take massive transfer hits on them.

In the case of disgraced Johnson, the club had little option but to tear up his contract and forget about clawing aback even a fraction of the £10m they paid for him when the ex-England winger was convicted of child sex offences.

Ironically, one of Sunderland’s worst-ever signings was involved in one of their best-ever deals.

Jozy Altidore, signed by the walking disaster that was Paolo Di Canio, did not come close to justifying his £6.5m fee.

Yet despite scoring just one Premier League goal (against tonight’s opponents Chelsea), the American was involved in arguably Sunderland’s best piece of business in modern times.